Vol 3 Chapter 17 – Maid Dismissal  (【The Exonerator of the Maritime Nation】Arc)

“Arisu…!”

It’s been a while since I last saw Arisu wearing anything other than her maid uniform.

I guess I’m so used to seeing her in it that this feels strange.

“Goshujin…sama…?”

“Yes. It’s Sakata. Can you talk?”

Just looking at her, she seems so weak it makes me worry. Is she going to be alright?

Wait, why am I worried about a criminal?

“I’m sorry, Goshujin-sama… The maid uniform you gave me has become all tattered…”

Well, I guess I should at least pretend I’m worried, or it might raise suspicion.

“I can give you a maid uniform as many times as you need. I’m just so glad you’re safe, Arisu…”

In these situations, going overboard is actually less suspicious.

Arisu’s face looks a bit stiff, but I pay it no mind.

“Are you sure you’re able to move?”

“I’m fine. More importantly… I’d like you to tell me about our current situation.”

I guess we’ll never see each other again.

I told her everything honestly.

“Goshujin-sama dissolved the organization for my sake…”

She doesn’t change her expression at all in response to my words.

Maybe she’s too dumbfounded to say anything.

“I’m going to be joining Sugiyama-san’s organization, so I’ll leave everything about our organization in your hands.”

“I see… Understood…”

I thought she’d say something, but there was nothing.

Maybe she’d already given up.

Arisu grabs her left elbow and looks down.

「……。」

Seeing her like that, a thought suddenly crosses my mind.

If I had to praise Arisu for one thing, it would be her cooking skills.

Actually, the meat used at that café was human flesh, but the taste was similar to Arisu’s cooking, so could it be…? No, she can’t be that insane.

She isn’t someone who shows much interest in other people anyway.

“I hate to interrupt this emotional reunion, but we’ve confirmed the maid is safe, so it’s about time we have her leave.”

“Alright…”

While I’m lost in thought, Sugiyama-san tells me it’s time to say goodbye.

So it’s time to dismiss the self-proclaimed maid.

Thanks for everything so far. Go and properly atone for your crimes.

“Goshujin-sama, if anything comes up, please be sure to contact me.”

“Understood. Take care, Arisu.”

I worried she might resist at the end, but she left quietly.

Maybe she sensed the difference in our abilities.

Arisu was one of the most skilled people I’ve seen.

Well, maybe she can handle a one-on-one fight, but she’s at a disadvantage against multiple opponents.

I’m relieved.

I pat my chest in relief.

—————————————————

“Now then, Sakata-san, it’s time for you to do some studying.”

Studying, huh? I haven’t done that since I was a student. It feels a bit nostalgic.

Thinking that, I follow Sugiyama-san.

“Alright, here’s your study room!”

She leads me to a small conference space.

There’s a monitor and a whiteboard at the front, and a few desks and chairs are lined up.

Everything is neat and tidy, not a speck of dust anywhere.

“Huh? The person over there…”

A girl sits alone in the front row.

I recognize her.

“You’re late! How long do you intend to keep me waiting!?”

A lovely young girl with silver hair down to her shoulders, wearing a pure white one-piece dress.

She looks a bit irritated. It’s the Judgementer.

“Sorry. It took longer than I thought. I kept you waiting.”

“No, Sugiyama-san hasn’t done anything wrong. Ultimately, the cause was that maid the man behind you hired…”

“I feel kind of guilty about that…”

She sulks a little.

“You’re the newbie, right? Sakata, was it?”

“Yes. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

I reached out to take it.

———Ouch!?

With a silent smile, she clamped down on my hand as if trying to crush it.

Is this her default strength?

She’s way too much of a power type.

I put all my strength into resisting, but I could barely do a thing.

“All right, that’s enough greetings—let’s get started.”

Sugiyama-san clapped her hands.

The moment she spoke, the Executioner released my hand and sat down.

I was honestly relieved. I had a feeling she wouldn’t have let go otherwise.

“Sugiyama-san, why is she here?”

“Oh? Do you have a problem with me being here?”

“No, that’s not what I meant…”

I must have angered the Executioner.

Am I about to be killed?

Seeing how aggressive she is, I can’t help doubting if this really is a justice organization.

“Executioner, don’t cause Sakata-san any more trouble, okay? He’ll be part of our team from today, so try to get along.”

“If Sugiyama-san insists, then…”

She followed Sugiyama-san’s words without protest.

Sugiyama-san must know exactly how to handle her.

“All right, let’s finally start the briefing. Sakata-san, I’m counting on you.”

“Yes, looking forward to working with you.”

“…Hmph.”

The Executioner, seated next to me, looked none too pleased.

“For today’s briefing, I asked the Executioner to join as support. You two will be working together from now on, so get along, okay?”

“Got it.”

“Understood.”

With those words, Sugiyama-san’s briefing began.

———————————————————

“That concludes the briefing. Thank you for listening.”

By the time I’d finished retracing everything in my mind, Sugiyama-san had already wrapped up her explanation.

Next to me, the Executioner clapped, looking quite satisfied.

“Sakata-san, did you have any questions?”

Honestly, I only caught about half of it, so I don’t even know what I don’t know.

If I said something careless, I’m worried the girl beside me might kill me.

“No, nothing in particular. It was all very clear.”

I went for the safest possible answer.

“Really? You seemed kind of zoned out halfway through.”

“N-No, not at all.”

Her observation was spot on.

Sugiyama-san looked a bit concerned, too.

This is bad—I need to smooth this over somehow.

“Actually…I was just mesmerized by your voice, Sugiyama-san…”

What am I even saying?

Now I sound like some creep.

I sneaked a glance at Sugiyama-san. Her face was bright red.

Great… I’ve definitely weirded her out.

“N-No way! My voice is just an old lady’s!”

I really don’t think so, though…

The Executioner beside me stared like she couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

Why are you the one making that face…?

“W-Well, let’s stop with the formal stuff for now. Next, I’ll show you around our facility!”

Sugiyama-san stood up, motioning for me to follow.

“A facility tour?”

“Yes, and of course the Executioner will join us.”

“I’m coming too… Haah…”

With that, the Executioner and I trailed after Sugiyama-san.

———————————————————

Somewhere in an airport.

A lone girl sat on a bench, checking her phone while holding a cup of coffee.

“Excuse me. Sorry to keep you waiting.”

A large man in a jet-black suit spoke to her.

“Not at all. You’ve arrived by the meeting time. No need to apologize.”

She lifted her gaze from the phone to look at him.

“Shall we go? Our flight is soon.”

“Understood.”

Hirata and Mayuzumi walked side by side.

There were thirty minutes left until takeoff.

“May I ask something? You’re dressed differently than usual today.”

Mayuzumi glanced at Hirata’s outfit.

Rather than her usual black suit, she wore a black dress with lace trim.

“I’m posing as a traveler this time… Does it look strange?”

She pinched the hem of her dress, spreading it slightly.

The gesture made her seem surprisingly girlish.

“Not at all. Your outfit is very beautiful today.”

“Thank you. I’ll take that as a compliment.”

Hirata smiled softly.

After a moment, she spoke again.

“Just confirming—once we arrive, I’ll have you do a ‘Limiter Release.’ Are you all right with that?”

“That was sudden, but there’s no need to ask. That’s why I exist. Please give the order without hesitation.”

Mayuzumi’s gaze sharpened with resolve.

“Up till now, only the Boss had the authority to release your limiter, so I’m a bit hesitant.”

“I understand how you feel.”

“Haha…”

Hirata let out a small, awkward laugh as the reception counter came into view.

“All right, I’ll just take care of something real quick.”

She headed into the staff entrance near the reception counter.

Mayuzumi stayed behind in the lobby.

“…Okay, let’s get fired up.”

He pictured what was about to happen.

He had only done Limiter Release a handful of times.

It was impossible to know how it would affect those around him.

Still, the Boss needed this power…power that might even blow him away.

He was given orders. There was no choice.

He’d already made up his mind.

A slow breath escaped his lips.

“Well… so long as the Boss is there, it should be fine…”

He muttered quietly, just as a woman’s voice echoed from a short distance away.

Hirata had returned, smiling.

“Thanks for waiting. Let’s go.”

“All done?”

“Yep. I made sure to say my hellos.”

He nodded, and she smiled in satisfaction.

“Hokkaido, huh. Can’t wait.”

The way she said it felt laced with madness.